March 22, 2012

POULTRY VETERINARIANS NETWORK

Poultry Veterinary Network (Kenya)

Poultry Vets Network (PVN) is a common interest group of
Veterinary Surgeons in Kenya with interest in Poultry work. These are
Veterinarians keen on improving poultry enterprise by using their learned and
acquired skills to assist poultry keepers improve health and productivity of
their flock. This network is ardent in collection and distribution of poultry
information to end-user (poultry farmers). Linking Research to Development is
our key mission by bridging the gap that exists which is
Extension. Extension activities will be carried out by veterinarian members
also referred to as Poultry Veterinary Volunteers.

Overture

In view of a rapidly increasing human population in Kenya, resulting
in high demand for food and a decrease in land available for agriculture, food
production and food security will remain as priorities in the agricultural
sector. To satisfy this rising demand, future development in this sector will
be focused in those enterprises that require less land such as poultry
production and result in products that are readily acceptable to the consumers. Also, recent calls by the health technicians to limit consumption of red meat due to its likely exposure of people to risks of cancer, demand for white meat (poultry meat, fish etc.) is due to increase.

Poultry are those birds that render economic service to man and
reproduce freely under his care. Exotic poultry constitute 30% of total
national poultry populations. These are usually kept around urban and peri
urban areas, a factor dictated by their proximity to the market. Exotic poultry
is kept by the resource-rich or financially stable poultry keepers as it
requires a fair to good educational foundation, high financial input and in
return has readily high output. These keepers are in constant
contact with the poultry breeders, feed manufacturers, drug manufacturers and
other key players in the industry who are keen on training them and offering
other on and off-farm extension to agribusiness services. To the advantage of
these poultry keepers, most technocrats (technical persons) and resource
suppliers (financial and farm inputs) are biased towards urban and peri urban areas
due to availability of good infrastructure.

On the other hand, indigenous/ local/ household/ family poultry
keepers account for 70% of the total national poultry populations. These
poultry are kept in peri-urban (back yard) but majority are kept by the poor,
resource and education challenged local communities. Free-range system is most
common in rural areas as it is a least capital-intensive production system of
low input, low output farming system. They keep an average flock size of 10-14
birds that consist of indigenous family birds. These birds are let free during
the day and are only confined at night. Indigenous family birds are harder than
exotic breeds on free-range system where little or no food is supplemented.
They have a great foraging ability, high feed conversion efficiency, but small
size and low production. The family poultry keepers tend to have a wrong belief
that these birds are hardy to diseases (except Newcastle disease) and do not
need extra attention. Technical experts to advise indigenous poultry keepers on
how to improve health and production of these birds are lacking in the
villages, with keepers left to employ their indigenous knowledge in disease
control, a practice that has not recorded agreeable results. Poultry keepers’ knowledge
on poultry disease diagnosis, treatment, prevention & control is wanting.
Veterinary medicines are not readily available in villages. Major outbreak of
viral diseases especially Newcastle often go un- or under-reported because of
poor infrastructural and communication network and thus lasting solution are
not arrived at. Another scenario common to rural poultry keepers is that, at
the time of disease outbreaks, the families feasts on the sick birds to avert
further losses, unaware of the dangers they are exposing themselves to since
disease diagnosis has not been arrived at.

Poor housing exposing the birds to predation and ecto-parasitism
is also a major impediment to this production system. Most families share
housing with these birds oblivious of the dangers they expose themselves to.

Marketing of these birds is also a challenge. After several months
of raising dwarfed birds, traders/ middle men exploit rural poultry keepers,
robbing them off a fortune while they make big profits when they sell birds in
urban areas. Indigenous birds are preferred because they have tasty meat and
desirable egg quality, color and taste. Their products are also free from
antibiotics, hormones and other harmful chemicals. These birds fetch more
income than exotic ones.

Poultry health and production extension work has been solely left
to animal production technicians who are limited in knowledge as far as poultry
diseases concerns, the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of these
diseases. On the other hand, majority of veterinary practitioners in Kenya are
biased towards large animals and pets neglecting poultry engagements. This
initiative is therefore necessary in order to mobilize veterinary surgeons to
assist in poultry extension services and render their extensive savoir faire to
assist poultry keepers and the poultry industry as a whole. This initiative is
biased towards rural industry and is aimed at uplifting the financial and
social status of rural dwellers by emphasizing the need for seriously engaging
in poultry activities as a source of income, cheap protein and a source of
employment.

Objectives

To gather poultry information, aimed at assisting poultry keepers
to improve health and productivity of their birds (information collection).

Participate in on and off-farm training of poultry keepers on
poultry health and productivity (capacity building),

Organize poultry related field events and activities that will
engage poultry vets in treating and vaccination of flocks,

On-farm visitations and consultations by veterinary volunteers on
poultry health and productivity

Research including disease diagnosis, necropsies, data collection
on disease incidences and losses; and other experimental work

2 comments:

Doc i think this is a brilliant idea. while i had a short stint working in nairobi i got some level of exposure to exotic birds. It would be very interesting to pursue the same with local birds. Keep me posted on the progress of this blog. Dr. Ngugi wundanyi coast province.

Postal Address

Personal profile

A young and vibrant Veterinary Surgeon and a Training Scientist in Applied Parasitology, who is keen on linking research to development through enhancing communication between researchers and livestock keepers, aimed at improving livestock health and production, enhancing food security and ultimately reducing poverty risks and impacts. Dr. Sabuni has a penchant to poultry work, more so in veterinary entomology and protozoology area and to where he is establishing a career as a field based researcher.

My Mission

To strengthen the livelihoods of the resource challenged community through enhancing livestock health and productivity. Access to quality animal health services and good animal husbandry practices will lead to safe and quality animal products, reduction in zoonotic diseases and better human health.